A perfect union: Jack Nicklaus and Disney golf, 50 years later

[Disney4me]

Today the focus is on guests creating memories on three championship layouts where touring professionals made their mark three decades ago.

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Jack Nicklaus concentrates on his putt which later dropped in for a birdie on #5 hole here during the 2nd round of the Walt Disney World Open golf tournament, Orlando, Fla., Dec. 4, 1971. (AP Photo/Mark Foley) (Mark Foley)

 

The idea sounded terrific to Jack Nicklaus and his wife Barbara. Load up the children, spend the week at a fledgling theme park called Disney World while the Golden Bear would play in a golf tournament. Dad would compete against some of the best players in the world during the day, then all would join for endless park options at night.

It was a plan the whole Nicklaus family easily got behind.

Disney World had been open for only two months when the PGA Tour’s inaugural Walt Disney World Open Invitational came rolling into town on the resort’s newly designed Palm and Magnolia courses. Nicklaus, then 31, collected his first of three consecutive titles in the event, winning by three strokes over Deane Beman.

That was Dec. 6, 1971. Fifty years ago.

“I played well, I won the tournaments,” said Nicklaus, winner of 73 PGA Tour events and a record 18 major championships. “We had young kids at the time, and we took them into the Magic Kingdom every night. We did all the things that parents do with the kids. We enjoyed it. It was great fun.”

Jack Nicklaus looks over a putt under the umbrella during a rainy third round at the Walt Disney World Open golf tournament in Orlando on Dec. 5, 1971. Nicklaus held on to the lead with an 11-under-par 205 total barely nosing out Bert Yancey who finished with a 206. Nicklaus had only one comment as he left #18 green: "Good gracious." (Mark Foley/AP)

The tradition continued for another four decades as Disney hosted prestigious tournaments ranging from the PGA Tour’s annual stop — which switched to a two-man team format from 1974-81 and ended in 2012 – to LPGA events, senior majors, major championship qualifying events and college championships.

 

Tiger Woods, then 20, shot a final-round 66 in 1996 to win the second of his record 82 PGA Tour titles by one shot over the late Payne Stewart, the 1983 champion. Three years later Woods won again in a dramatic 1-stroke victory over Ernie Els. Other legends of the game like Ben Crenshaw, Hal Sutton, Lanny Wadkins, Raymond Floyd, Mark O’Meara, David Duval, Davis Love III, Karrie Webb and Pat Bradley have all won on the same grounds.

While Disney Golf is celebrating its first 50 years and looks back fondly on its rich tournament history, the resort is now content to look forward to the next half-century at its four heralded courses that are affectionately referred to as “The Happiest Place on Turf,” a play on Disneyland’s “The Happiest Place on Earth” moniker.

Instead of catering to touring professionals a few times a year, attention now turns to solely providing guests with a memorable, first-class golf experience on one of the three championship layouts — the Palm, Magnolia and Lake Buena Vista courses — or the leisurely, nine-hole Oak Trail course which is a favorite of families, beginners and those who don’t have the time to devote to a full round.

The collection of courses created a challenging environment for professionals over the years yet continues to deliver a player-friendly option for golfers of all ages and skill levels. Disney reports that it pulls in more than 200,000 rounds annually and is on pace for similar numbers this year.

As is the case with most Central Florida golf history, there is an Arnold Palmer connection. It was Palmer who took the inaugural test ride on the Disney Monorail in 1971 and later that same day he was named a consultant for the PGA Tour event that Nicklaus, his biggest rival, ultimately won later that year. Eight years ago, Palmer was instrumental in renovating and reimagining the Palm course and his eponymous golf management company continues to operate Disney’s golf facilities just as it has for the past decade.

Jack Nicklaus of Columbus, Ohio goes up on his toes as he urges his ball toward the cup with fans in the background showing equally intense expressions at Orlando Dec. 2, 1971. (Mark Foley/AP)

“We have a commitment to being guest-centric — creating an all-encompassing experience that is uniquely Disney while providing the opportunity to play where champions were crowned,” said Bruce Gerlander, Disney Golf’s general manager. “We task ourselves with melding the flair of the resort with upholding the classic traditions of the game of golf that our founder, Mr. Arnold Palmer, stood proud and tall for every day of his life.”

As is the Disney way, they have thought of everything. Guests have the option of renting golf clubs and golf shoes. Members of the Disney Vacation Club have access to a low-cost membership that includes four rounds of golf on the Oak Trail course, four twilight rounds on the championship courses, eight rounds of FootGolf (a hybrid sport between soccer and golf), complimentary range balls, companion passes to golf clinics and discount passes for member’s guests.

It’s amusing now to look back on everything that Disney has accomplished in the golf space. When Walt Disney sketched his plans for Walt Disney World, he labeled a large area adjacent to the Magic Kingdom as “golf.” Disney himself was not a golfer, but he knew then that having a golf presence would be one of the keys to creating a complete family destination in the Sunshine State.

“Disney has made great contributions to the game,” Nicklaus, now 81, said earlier this year. “They have golf everywhere that they’ve been.”

Nicklaus is correct. Disney Golf has accomplished many things since he hoisted the trophy in that first golf tournament 50 years ago, but remains just as focused on making sure more memories are delivered to guests over the next 50 years.